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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Board - Minutes - 06/27/2002City Council Liaison Chuck Warmer Staff Liaison DeEtta Carr 221-6702 Water Board Chairman Water Board ViceChairman Tom Sanders 491-5448 John Morris 491-0185 Secretary Vicki Mesa ROLL CALL Board Present Tom Sanders - Chairman, John Morris - Vice Chairman, John Bartholow, Ted Borstad, Bill Fisher, Jim Finley, David Lauer, Rami Naddy, Robert Ward and Doug Yadon Board Absent Tom Brown Staff Present Patty Bigner, Dennis Bode, Steve Comstock, Laurie D'Audney, Donnie Dustin, Kevin Gettig, Jim Hibbard, Brian Janonis, Beth Molenaar, Diana Royval, Michael Smith, Susan Smolnik, Dennis Sumner, Bill Switzer, Ellen Switzer, Wendy Williams and DeEtta Carr Guests Present Sally Bridges - Coloradoan, Carrie Daggett - Assistant City Attorney, Dave Dunn, Al Jakubauskas, Webb Jones - ELCO Water District, Dale Moorehouse, Gene Schlaeger - NCWCD, and Randy Williams Minutes Approved Doug Yadon made a motion to adopt the meeting minutes of May 23, 2002. John Morris seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously with Board Members Bill Fisher, Robert Ward, Rami Naddy and John Bartholow abstaining. Tom Sanders gave recognition and thanks to recently resigned Board Members Joe Bergquist, Dave Frick, and Paul Clopper for their service on the Board. Update - Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCDI Gene Schleiger reported there is currently 285,000 acre-feet of usable water in the system and approximately 185,000 of quota left for the year. He reported there are no flows on the other side, I 1 feet in Willow Creek, 10 feet in Frasier and 10 feet in the Colorado River. He spoke of the need for 220,000 acre-feet of water to be caught in Granby and reported only between 30,000-50,000 acre-feet would be captured in 2002. Fort Collins Water Board Minutes June 27, 2002 Page 2 Gene commented on upcoming public meetings to discuss details of water supplies and why quotas are being amended and encouraged Board Members to attend. He stated that even with a better than average snowpack next year the quota would likely only be 50 percent. Gene responded to questions and comments regarding long range forecasting, stating until recently resources were not available for long range forecast models. He told the Board that 1934 was the driest year on record and at this time we are below those numbers. Drought Related Actions Laurie D'Audney, Water Conservation Specialist, briefly outlined the City's efforts to inform the public of the drought issues and various ways to conserve water. She reported on the numerous media sources that have been used in those efforts. She stated there has been an increase in callers complaining about wasting water and gave a brief explanation how those calls were handled. John Morris asked if there were comments or concerns by the lawn care industry. Laurie stated she had not heard from anyone in the lawn care industry but reported GreenCo has given information to landscapers as well as homeowners associations regarding conservation efforts. She stated that they would be providing outreach to ditch companies as well. She stated that CSU reported cutting back on their water usage. Doug Yadon expressed concerns regarding CSU's water usage. John Morris reported that CSU has cut back one day of watering each week and is trying to keep the campus looking good. He commented that a study shows that 48 percent of students chose colleges based on the appearance of the campus. John Morris commented on questions from the Board stating that CSU does have its own water supply and that the water used for lawn watering is second -use water, which is run through a hydraulic lab before being used. Webb Jones, ELCO Water District Manager, expressed concerns regarding long range water supplies. He commented that although ELCO's total demand was approximately 10 percent of the City's quota, they are prepared to follow the City's lead with regards to water restrictions. Dennis Bode briefly highlighted the drought related information handouts. He spoke of the supply scenarios for 2003 and stated the worst case scenario is that if there was another year in the Poudre River like this year, the total supply would be about 22,000 acre-feet. The dry year demands are about 12-13 percent above the average demand. He stated carryover supplies are based on what is done this year. He spoke of two methods for carryover water: (1) through NCWCD C-BT carryover program to allow 20 percent to be carried over from this year to next year: and (2) keeping as much water in Joe Wright Reservoir as possible. Dennis stated that from January to the present, we are approximately 7 percent above average for the year. He commented two years ago we were 18 percent above average, however, in normal years the percentage in June is typically well above 20 percent of average due to weather. He Fort Collins Water Board Minutes June 27, 2002 Page 3 spoke of how staff arrived at a 10 percent goal and commented achieving the "expected" 10 percent goal would mean a 4,300 acre-feet of carryover storage as opposed to 2,800 acre-feet if we end up at the average at the end of the year. Tom Sanders spoke of water carryover concerns and releasing the unused water. He stated that if the water could not be carried over then why put all the effort into conserving it. Dennis Bode stated that there is a possibility of carryover for next year, so saving water would indeed help. The Board discussed ways to simplify explanations to the public and providing simple visuals on how much water we are saving each week. Dennis stated staff is reviewing three water conservation options. The first option is: (1) increased focus on voluntary efforts, (2) mandatory hourly restrictions and (3) mandatory hourly and daily restrictions. He stated that Option 1, volunteering no watering between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. would provide flexibility for customers to water as needed. However, he reported the publics perception is that more conservation needs to be done. He stated Option 1 might not net the savings we are trying to achieve. He stated that Option 2 also calls for a mandatory no watering between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and voluntary restrictions to water two days per week. Dennis stated that staff did not believe this option would provide the needed savings. Option 3 calls for restricting watering to two days per week based on the address, again no watering between 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Dennis believes Option 3 would provide the potential for a larger reduction in water use consequently increasing next years carryover. He stated enforcement would be a big obstacle as well as people who might not ordinarily water would go ahead and water on their watering days. He clarified that under these conditions the utility would not be able to rent as much water next year. Mike Smith emphasized the importance for the Board making a recommendation to Council based on the present situation. He responded to questions regarding why market -based pricing options can not be considered at this time, noting that it would take too much time to develop and implement the pricing. He clarified there are approximately 2,700 customers not metered but did not believe that would be a big issue for pricing in the future. Dennis reported that there has been a positive trend in reduction to water usage since the citizens have been asked to conserve. Ted Borstad made a motion to recommend Option 3. John Morris seconded the motion. Fort Collins Water Board Minutes June 27, 2002 Page 4 Tom Sanders expressed concerns that by adopting Option 3, customers might tend to use more water. Mike Smith concurred with Tom, but expressed the need to do something and stated if Option 3 did not work this year, different options would have to be considered for next year. He supported adoption of Option 3 and spoke of enforcement issues in limiting the amount of time people could water on their designated days. Bill Fisher questioned the benefit of the restrictions and asked how many acre-feet of water would actually be saved. Dennis stated that it would be difficult to estimate the savings for next year, stating for the month of June we are still 7 percent above an average year. Bill Fisher spoke of the need to inform customers how conserving water this year would help next year. Dennis stated if we remain at 90 percent of average for the rest of the year, we would have approximately 4,400 acre-feet of carryover, as opposed to 2,800 acre-feet. He mentioned that year-to-date, the Utility is two percent above average, concluding if we stay at the current usage we would be at 2,800 acre-feet based on current significant conservation efforts. Dennis responded to questions from the Board stating that if the 10 percent goal were achieved, there would be an additional storage of 1,600 acre-feet, noting currently we are at 7 percent above average, concluding that an additional 17 percent of usage was needed. Mike Smith clarified that although we are below expected use, we are below the 2 percent and commented there were no guarantees that the 2 percent would be achieved. He stated that staff was very much in support of voluntary programs but has received a lot of negative feedback. He stated staff supports adoption of Option 3. Rami Naddy commented that the term water management should be used, as opposed to water restrictions. He believed the goal was to encourage water management. Mike Smith supported the idea of pursuing economic incentives in the future but stated that it was not a realistic goal for the current situation. The Board discussed the definition of outdoor water use. Jim Finley expressed the need for the Board to look at this issue beyond next year. Robert Ward expressed concerns that there is no evidence what is currently being done will work and supported the need to develop a drought response plan. He stated that it was important to have identified targets based on supply. He reported the Denver Water Board based restrictions on reservoir levels. Fort Collins Water Board Minutes June 27, 2002 Page 5 Doug Yadon requested staff provide information and evidence from other communities as to what residential customers have historically done regarding use. Bill Fisher stated that although the decision was difficult, action needed to be taken. He suggested implementing a tiered approach, suggesting implementing Option 1, and if by August 1 the desired results were not reached, proceed to implementation of Option 3. The Board voted on Board Member Ted Borstad's motion to recommend adoption of Option 3. The motion passed with Board Members Fisher and Morris in opposition. Bill Fisher stated although he did not support the motion, he would fully support and endorse the decision of the Board. John Morris stated that he opposed the motion, because he did not understand the definition of outdoor use. Tom Sanders requested the Engineering and Water Supply Committees look into the drought issues and the possibility of increasing water rates as a tool for conservation enforcement. He requested the committees meet before the next scheduled Board meeting and present findings. Jacoby Farm Sale Steve Comstock, Water Reclamation Manager, gave a brief presentation and history on the purchase of the Jacoby Farm. He stated that Council would be considering this item on July 17, 2002. He reported that after the regional water/wastewater planning study was conducted it was determined there was not a need for a regional wastewater treatment facility in the area. He stated adoption of the Ordinance would provide the Utilities with additional 25 shares of C-BT water. He stated staff proposes that agriculture leases continue throughout next year for ease of operation for the County, City and the lessee. He clarified that there were no plans to sell the C-BT shares. Steve responded to questions from the Board, stating staff is pursuing the possible expansion west of the Drake Road facility as well as an option for a batch plant. Carrie Daggett, Assistant City Attorney, stated the Board's recommendation to Council would be on behalf of the Utility. She stated the standard that the Council would need to use in evaluating the conveyance is whether it is in the best interest to the ratepayers and does not impair the viability of the Utility. She clarified that typically Council is provided the Board's recommendation as well as staff s recommendation. Mike Smith clarified this is a disposal of excess property because it is no longer need for our purpose. Carrie stated under the Charter the Utilities must protect its ratepayers, and if there is another general municipal purpose being served by the sale of the property the Utilities generally should not bear the discount/sacrifice to serve the general municipal purpose. She stated that in general it is not inappropriate to rely on appraisal of the fair market value of the property in order to Fort Collins Water Board Minutes June 27, 2002 Page 6 decide whether the price for the property was adequate. She emphasized the Board's role is to serve in an advisory capacity. David Lauer opposed selling the land, stating he believed that the property should be used for a future wastewater treatment plant. Steve Comstock responded to comments from the Board regarding capacity and potential population expansion issues. He emphasized the need to consider the possibility that the City utilities would not be servicing future expansion. Mike Smith clarified that the South Fort Collins Sanitation District services all of the customers going south and noted that we are in a land lock with regards to how far the wastewater utility can expand. Tom Sanders asked if future regional capabilities would be effected if we gave up the site. Steve stated the site itself would be difficult to develop, saying he did not believe regionalization would be restricted. He stated the appraisal would be checked to see who owns the mineral rights. He reported the County would like to conclude the sale by the end of the year because of dedicated funds. Robert Ward questioned South Fort Collins Sanitation District's long term expansion plans. Steve stated he believed that South Fort Collins Sanitation District had already gone into their final expansion phase. David Lauer made a motion that the Water Board submits the issue to the Water Supply Committee on whether or not to convey Jacoby Farm and submit its recommendation for the Water Board's consideration at the July meeting. Bill Fisher seconded the motion. The motion passed 9-1, Board Member Bartholow opposed. Boards and Commission Term Limits Carrie Daggett, Assistant City Attorney stated the Council Governance Committee met and proposed amending all Boards and Commissions term limits. She indicated that, based on the information provided to her the Committee had discussed the exception to the Water Board's terms and concluded that in the past, there were not enough applicants applying for the Water Board, and the greater number of terms allowed was at least in part intended to reduce the difficulty of finding Board members. She had been advised that because the Committee believed that there were no longer any problems presently in getting applicants, the Water Board's term limits would be consistent with all other Boards and Commissions. She stated that Council adopted the term limits on first reading at the June 4, 2002 meeting. Second reading of the ordinance was scheduled for July 16. Carrie gave a brief explanation regarding term limit implications contained in the ordinance. Tom Sanders expressed his opposition to changing the terms, reporting that he wrote a letter to the Mayor informing him of his position stating that he believed it would devastate the Board. Fort Collins Water Board Minutes June 27, 2002 Page 7 He commented that other Boards and Commissions do not make decisions that could impact the City in 20 to 30 years. Bill Fisher stated he would speak to Council on behalf of the Water Board regarding the quality of representation the Board provides. Bill Fisher made a motion to allow the Board to remain at three four-year terms. David Lauer seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Other Items David Lauer requested an agenda item at the next meeting to clarify the Board's support of the western slope issues. Adiournment The meeting was adjou at 6:20 p.m. Tom Sanders, Water Board Chairman DeEtta Carr, Water Board Liaison